1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an open/close device for opening or closing an air passage. The open/close device can be suitably used in an air-conditioning apparatus for an automotive vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
JP-A-2004-136700 discloses an air passage open/close device, in which a casing defining an air passage has a guide groove. The guide groove guides an end of a sliding door in a width direction. The sliding door reciprocatedly moves along the guide groove, and the air passage of the casing is opened or closed by the movement of the sliding door.
The sliding door is pressed to a sealing face of the casing due to a wind pressure of blown air. Thus, sealing performance can be achieved when the air passage is closed.
A curvature radius of the sliding door is made equal to or larger than a curvature radius of the sealing face of the casing. Thereby, ends of the sliding door in a moving direction can easily contact the sealing face of the casing, when the sliding door is arranged in the casing. Therefore, even if an amount of wind is small, the sliding door can be pressed to the sealing face of the casing due to a wind pressure of blown air. Thus, the sealing performance can be achieved by the sliding door.
However, when the wind pressure of blown air is not applied to the sliding door, the sliding door is not pressed to the sealing face of the casing. If the casing vibrates in this state, the ends of the sliding door in the moving direction also vibrate. Therefore, the sliding door may generate noises such as fluttering sound.
A gasket for pressing the sliding door to the sealing face of the casing may be added to the air passage open/close device. Due to the gasket, the sliding door can be pressed to the sealing face of the casing, even when the wind pressure of blown air is not applied to the sliding door. However, the addition of the gasket increases a cost of the device.